Friday, July 9, 2010

Zucchini Bread and Oatmeal

This week Alfred requested I bake him some zucchini bread. I’m all for baking him things that include fruits and veggies, but zucchini bread often includes a massive amount of oil and way too much sugar. So, of course, I baked him a healthier version with less oil and sugar, and more whole grains. He said it was the best thing I’ve ever baked – he literally inhaled it, making sure to get every crumb off his plate – and he requested a loaf a week for the rest of zucchini season. That’s a pretty strong endorsement! (In case you're not familiar with zucchini bread, this sweet quick bread doesn't taste like zucchini. The zucchini makes the bread moist and tender.)

By the way – we ran out of zucchini the day before his request, but being the loving wife that I am, I rode my bike in the rain to the farmer’s market on my way home yesterday. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time! Once I accepted that I was going to get wet, I embraced it fully, plowing through every puddle wearing a great big smile!

I purchased a really big zucchini – far more than I needed to make 1 loaf of zucchini bread - it was a whopper! So I decided to incorporate some of the zucchini into my breakfast this morning. A while back I came across a recipe for Zucchini Bread Oatmeal – the idea sounded intriguing because back in my gluten-ful days I loved zucchini bread, I still love oatmeal, and I’m always looking for ways to get more veggies into my breakfasts. I departed a fair amount from the original recipe, using a method for cooking oatmeal that is purely fruit sweetened, but oh so satisfying!

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly oil or spray a loaf pan2) Sift together the dry ingredients 3) Combine all the wet ingredients except the zucchini, and then stir in the zucchini4) Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to thoroughly, but gently, combine the wet and dry ingredients5) Fold in the chopped nuts6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.7) Let cool in pan 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan 8) Eat Up!

In a microwave safe bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the nuts. Use enough milk to just cover the other ingredients. Cover the bowl, refrigerate the mixture and allow it to sit overnight (optional – but it helps the dates release their sweetness into the milk and the oats get really nice and soft). When ready to eat, microwave the mixture for 3 minutes, stir, add more milk and cook longer if necessary. Top with chopped nuts. Get ready for a real treat!*Of course, you could cook this on the stove top if you prefer. Plan for it to take about 10 extra minutes.

I am so fascinated with the idea of zucchini oatmeal... what a smart thing to do! My garden will likely be brimming with zukes in a couple weeks. This will be a fun way to serve it up to the kiddos- thank you!

About Me

We love to cook, love to eat, and love to read, write and talk about cooking and eating! In short, we live for food. On this blog you'll find simple, healthy (usually), tasty (hopefully) recipes from our tiny kitchen!